Bologna: Fantastic food and where to find it.

Hope you are enjoying these rainy days in Dhaka. XD We have been talking around a lot about Italy, it’s culture and most of all, its food. In previous posts, we have been discovering cities as Naples, Torino, Rome and many others. But have you ever wondered where you can find the best food in Italy? Actually, it is a tricky question, as every city offers different recipes using different products, and sometimes it would be weird to compare such different food. It’s like comparing French with Indian food. You just cannot.

Still, I’ll try to give you my personal opinion in where you can probably find the heart of our culinary culture: Bologna!

Bologna is a little city in the region of Emilia Romagna, in the Center-North of Italy. It is very famous because it has been here where the first University ever took place in the history of humanity, around 1000 years ago. Furthermore, it is famous four it tall and leaning towers (as the Pisa’s one); so famous that its nickname is “La turrita”, that means “the towery city”. Looking at painting of the 14th century, Bologna was a very important city in the Italian political environment and tens of towers were spiring up to the sky. It’s estimated that, between the 12th and 13th centuries, Bologna had as many as 180 towers, built by the wealthiest local families both as a symbol of their power and as a defense system during the bloody wars between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines.

Bologna, Historical Center

But rather than famous for its towers, the city is famous is famous for its incredible food! Indeed, in Bologna, you have the superb Tortellini in Brodo, a kind of ravioli eaten in a soup. And what about the “Prosciutto di Parma” (Parma Ham) or the unique “Parmigiano Reggiano” (the original Parmesan cheese)? They are all produced in the neighboring city of Parma, in the Emilia Romania region.

The culinary journey continues with the “Tagliatelle”, amazing eggs based fresh hand-made pasta, sometimes called even Fettuccine (in Rome area), that is exactly the same we produce here at The Italian Kitchen. Impressive to have such a food here, isn’t it?

Fettuccine Alla Bolognese

Another unique product is the “Aceto Balsamico” (Balsamic vinegar), that is still produced in this part of Italy, close to Modena to be precise. The Aceto Balsamico is something very unique: it requires a kind of living yeast to be produced and the older the yeast is, the better the Aceto will become. Just to give you a few numbers, there are farms producing Aceto Balsamico that have yeast older than 600-700 years… imagine what a Balsamic Vinegar!!! Finally, and I close it here otherwise I can continue for hours, Bologna claims (with the city of Naples) to be the original city of “Lasagne”, the gorgeous backed pasta recipe, with mozzarella, Bolognese sauce (another one XD) and Parmesan cheese.

We actually do not care where the Lasagne comes from until we can eat it as we can 🙂